1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed in general to computer game systems. In one aspect, the present invention relates to a method and system for coupling an input/output device, such as a controller, with a video game executing on a system or platform, such as a console or PC computer.
2. Related Art
In recent years, computing systems or platforms have been used to execute computer games, such as console video game systems. Examples of such console video game systems (such as Sony Playstation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Microsoft Xbox, etc.) include a game console that is hardwire-connected to a television set or other visual display, and that is wired or wirelessly connected to one or more controllers. A technical obstacle presented by having multiple controllers configured in a multi-player game is the requirement of associating each player in the game with the corresponding controller.
With hardwired controllers, a controller for each player is typically connected to a numbered connector on the game console. Each player is typically designated by a number, e.g. Player #1 is the player using the controller plugged into connector #1, Player #2 is the player using the controller plugged into connector #2, and so on. The player number associates the “real” player with a virtual player or object seen on the video screen. While the use of hardwired controller connections alleviates the player/controller association problem, it does so by imposing substantial disadvantages insofar as the wires can become tangled, the wire length can limit the distance of the player from the console and the wired controllers have reduced portability.
Many of these disadvantages are reduced with a wireless controller which wirelessly communicates with a receiver plugged into a port on the game console by using a specific channel as selected on a dial or switch on the controller and receiver. However, such wireless controllers are typically sold as after-market accessory products which use the same method as wired controllers for identifying players, namely, wirelessly plugging a wireless game controller into a corresponding or dedicated wireless connector which is wire-connected to the console. Alternatively, the wireless controllers are physically preconfigured to identify the player/controller associations, such as by forming each controller housing with a different colored material, thereby limiting controller interchangeability and increasing controller manufacturing costs. Other wireless controllers establish player/controller associations by using proprietary wireless communication protocols to control communication between the console and the controller(s), though this approach imposes complexity costs on the system design and reduces the ability to flexibly use a controller with non-proprietary game systems. In addition, some wireless controllers, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,378, include an embedded liquid crystal display (LCD) to display a player number for the controller, which again addresses the player/controller association problem, but at the expense of imposing complexity costs on the system design by requiring LCD display and control circuits for each controller.
Accordingly, an improved method and system is needed for flexibly, inexpensively and efficiently associating one or more wireless game controllers with the corresponding player identities in a computer game. Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional systems will become apparent to one of skill in the art after reviewing the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings and detailed description which follow.